Our minds are always busy keeping track of this and that in our inner and outer worlds. It's like having a job and a family -- between the two, there's hardly any break. One thought leads to another, and that thought leads to a third. At some point, we lose track and can't remember how we got to where we are. When the mind goes around and around like this, it's like water that's stirred up all the time. It never has a chance to settle and become calm and clear. You can even have trouble sleeping because your mind is not at rest.

If you know your mind is busy and full of thoughts, then that's actually not too bad. But often that's not the case. Sometimes we're juggling five or six trains of thought and the emotions attached to them.

This perfect enlightenment does not arise without proper cause and conditions, and that is following the mahayana path. First is to have a very sincere wish to attain the perfect enlightenment, then one practises, the main thing being method and wisdom. In order to fly one needs two wings. Similarly in order to attain enlightenment one needs two: the method to realise the wisdom, and the wisdom itself. And they depend on each other.

Method means to accumulate merit like generosity, moral conduct, patience, endeavour, and concentration. Loving- kindness and compassion will only suppress faults because the main fault is self-clinging, and these method practices only supress self-clinging. In order to completely dig out the root of self-clinging we require the wisdom that completely eliminates it, and for this we must have concentration. With these two together we will be able to attain perfect enlightenment.

Many people say it's very difficult to practise Dharma particularly in big cities where there is so much distraction and busy-ness. However, Lord Buddha gave many teachings, the purpose of which was to tame our wild minds. It is due to our wild mind being so involved with defilements, that from the begining we have been caught in the realm of existence and suffer. We've already suffered so much in the past, are still suffering and furthermore if we do not work now we will continuously experience suffering. So therefore the Buddha gave teachings involving many different forms of practising, but all these are to tame our minds. http://www.sakyabluemountains.org/page3 ... rizin.html

To put it into more conventional perspective - one measurement of a moment, according to Buddhist view, is about the amount of time it takes to snap your fingers (the actual snap).

According to Sutra, a simple mental process takes 1/60 of a moment. According to tantra, 1/360 of a moment.For example when you look at a watch, the five omnipresent mental factors (intention, contact, etc) have to come into play for you to recognize it a watch. And how long does it take for you to recognize it as a watch?

And then there is multitasking. As the mind can actually only handle one operation (at a 1/60th or 1/360th of a snap of a finger), to multitask it has to jump back and forth.

The way we are diving in powerful emotions by grasping dualistic thoughts as mine, the way how we are painful acting through habitual tendencies, while comfort is always there. Ah!

Take it easy is a word many masters use. Its magical. I add this:

"Patrul Rinpoche talks about four main thoughts that should precede every meditation, every moment of contemplation: first, the preciousness of human existence; second, impermanence; third, the suffering of samsara; and fourth, karma, or cause and effect. These four reminders are said to be the main foundation of contemplation. Contemplating them, the meditator is truly able to remain without fabrication, or fabricated beliefs about his or her own spiritual path and spiritual motivation. They should truly enable practitioners to be completely honest with themselves. In spiritual practices, we sometimes talk about benefiting sentient beings, or making life more meaningful, or being able to truly do something that is good. In the beginning, our motivation may be very clear, but very soon our habitual patterns return. These habitual tendencies re-create the same patterns of living, thinking, doing, or saying things. Because of this the pull of our habitual patterns, or tendencies, does not allow us to remain in touch with that pure motivation, with what is really beneficial and good. To overcome such tendencies, the Four Reminders discussed and practiced by Patrul Rinpoche, are essential."

in any matters of importance. dont rely on me. i may not know what i am talking about. take what i say as mere speculation. i am not ordained. nor do i have a formal training. i do believe though that if i am wrong on any point. there are those on this site who i hope will quickly point out my mistakes.